The pursuit of perfection.

None of us are perfect. Because of this, we all have a desire to be perfect. We want to look perfect, act perfect, have perfect kids, the perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect spouse.

This is a quote from a 2007 article on the healthcare industry:

“Out of the roughly $14 billion spent on cosmetic procedures last year (2006), $1 billion was financed,” sad Tom Hooyman, a health care administration professor at Regis University. “And that’s a real trend. Finance companies are now allowing people, even people without health insurance to take advantage of these procedures.”

Perfection is ruining us. Our pursuit of perfection is causing us to go into debt for superficial adjustments that have long-term consequences. But we still do it, because we want to be “perfect”. And nobody’s definition of perfection is the same; we all have our own definition of “perfect”.

Your perfect job. Maybe that perfect job to you is where you’re the boss man and bringing in loads of cash.

Your perfect house. That perfect house is in that neighborhood you’ve always loved, with plenty of room and somehow manages to stay clean all the time.

Your perfect spouse. That perfect spouse isn’t a different person, just a different version of the one you’re married to now. Perhaps a few years younger and a few pounds lighter.

The problem is, these things seem perfect to us, but are not necessarily perfect for us. We see this all throughout the bible:

God’s plan for Joseph wasn’t perfect to him. He was sold into slavery at 17 and jailed for over 10 years. But it was perfect for him because it gave him the training he needed to fulfill God’s plan for him.

God’s plan for Jesus wasn’t perfect to his disciples. They thought he’d come and overthrow the government. But it was perfect for them, because it dealt with the much more important issue of man’s separation from God.

God’s plan for Paul probably wasn’t perfect to him. He was shipwrecked, stoned and thrown in jail and eventually killed for his faith. Yet few people have ever accomplished as much for the gospel in their lifetime as he did. God’s Will was perfect for him.

The job you’re in right now may not be perfect to you. You might hate it. But God is perfectly developing your character, patience, and faithfulness.

Maybe you lost a relationship recently. Loss of any kind hardly seems perfect. Nevertheless, God is putting you in a perfect position to depend on Him, receive from Him and be an inspiration and comfort to others.

The key is, we have to stop looking for and reaching for what would be perfect to us, and make the decision that where we are in life today is part of God’s perfect plan for us.